Potter's Plaything
by D-Rider
Summary: A Ravenclaw's thoughts in concern to James Potter during their 4th year at Hogwarts.


**Summary:** James Potter was always a goofball in his own right; whatever he did people laugh and jeer with him, whether messing around with Snape or Lily, or doing something random such as singing. This story is about Phillip Thompson, a Ravenclaw boy in his year whom he always has a tendency to want to spar with. Set in their 4th year.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter, and quite frankly, I'm glad I don't.

**Potter's Plaything**

Nearly every day since we've both stepped forth into this school, James Potter seems to always have a grudge against me. Hostile at first, but then he's directed his absolute disliking to Serverus Snape, a quiet Slytherin boy in our year. We first didn't like each other because, well, I corrected him on a basic jinx he was practicing on our first train ride, and then he felt as if he had to match up to me in any way he could.

Now, he knew for a fact that he couldn't outdo me academically, so instead he's shifted to a more annoying alternative, starting duels with me. Every day for nearly four years, I've had to put up with him and his gang of Gryffindors dueling me in between the switch of classes. When I said him and his gang, I meant that he duels, everybody else watches and laughs. I used to be annoyed by it at first, but now it's become quite routine that we go at it with wands. Even Professor Flitwick has grown tired of slipping us detention notices for doing magic in the hallways; he just sits there and waits for us to finish up. Professor McGonagall curses the both of us whenever she catches us, so we made a silent agreement not to start jinxing in any radius in a 100 ft. radius of the Transfiguration hallway.

As well as other students around, sure first years get a kick out of seeing two elder wizards going at it once in a while, but everybody else just walks by as we duel, telling us to get out of their way and to get on with it. Serverus sees me as an excuse to crawl through the crowds and get as far away from James and his goonies as possible. That'd probably be one of the only reasons why he won't try to mess with me on some days; he'd be messing around with Snape or trying to impress Lily Evans, that one pretty Gryffindor girl he's beginning to fancy.

I would say that James tries his best in his spars against me, however, I do feel happy that he doesn't feel any hostility towards me anymore. He not only doesn't want Severus to fight back when they pull wands out, he humiliates the boy. His inner circle of friends, Sirius Black, Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew even get in on the action of getting Snape (well, maybe not Lupin so much, but on occasion). He mocks him, bullies him, even uses a variety of spells that I've never seen in my entire life on the boy. And then he stops whenever that red-haired Gryffindor girl comes to step in on the problem.

Out of all of the women in our school that have fallen head over heels for Potter, only one of them seemed to have created a barrier for that charm he exerts; Lily Evans. I've dated several pretty girls here in Ravenclaw, but even they don't compare to Lily's. Not only that, but she possesses book smarts; I fear sometimes that she gets higher marks than I do! She's charismatic and knows what she wants out of life. James has begin to recently try to attract her by sparing with me and embarrassing Serverus, but that hasn't worked all too well for him. I'd wonder if she's...leaning towards women (if you know what I mean), but she's dated one Hufflepuff boy last year, so I can't think of that topic without a valid argument.

And because I hadn't had James pulling out his wand on me for nearly two months now because of his new scheme to get Lily, he caught me off guard today as he was making fun of Binns to a group of us 4th years.

"Despite the fact I know that I've grabbed the wrong set of notes for this class, I'm going to continue on with the lecture because I'd _die _of insanity trying to teach you the correct ones!" A group of students, including I, began to laugh at his impersonation of Binns, mostly because of the face expression Potter held matched that exactly of the teacher. All of a sudden, I felt a large pressure on my nose coming from a medium brown wand coming from him.

"You; why haven't you returned my owls that I've been giving you; I've wanted you to cuddle with me by the fire in my Common Room and discuss…" he took a step closer to me "the length of our…wands, if you catch my drift." I cocked an eyebrow as everybody else began to laugh. James cracked as well, and began to shake his head. "Pull out that long, manly wand of yours, Thompson, we need to see who's can squirt out the most jinxes again!" I know that Potter was only kidding around, but that seriously sounded queer in my book.

"I'll take you on," I said while pulling out my own chestnut wand and took some steps back. When we placed them to our front and bowed, I asked him my question. "So what's the deal with you not sparing with me anymore?" I asked him with curiosity. "Certainly you haven't forgotten about me, have you?"

"After seeing how long _that _wand is, how can I forget?!" he asked.

"Alright James, when you stop being queer we can begin this duel," said Lupin as he stepped on the side of both duelers.

"Yeah, we can begin you stop being gay!" Peter's squeaky voice pepped up from the back of the crowd.

"1….2…3…" said Sirius.

"Immobulus!" shouted James at the exact time that I shouted "Flipendo!" My body bounded together swiftly, and I was stuck still for a while. James, however, flew backwards beyond the crowd, and almost hit the stone statue of a raven. He then stood up, muttered a few words, and let me go from my binding.

"Remember that one," I asked as I got into a stance. "That was the one I had to tell _you _how to do correctly!" I shouted happily as people began to nod in agreement to what's been going on. "Rictusempra!" I shouted.

"Arania Excamade!" shouted James. He then narrowly jumped out of the way as the Tickling Charm smacked against the stone badger down the way. However, I ended up getting knocked back even further than he did last round. I abruptly stood up and because he was already in good standing:

"EXPELLIARMUS!" we shouted in unison. The two rays of light orange collided with each other, and a small explosion happened at the site of our spell smash. Despite the recoil damage, I got up first, and pointed, who retained his composure only a second after I did.

"Durgurano!" I shouted. Beside James ear, a loud BANG happened, and he ended up crashing against the ground. I gave a sly grin as he stood up to his feet, small scorch marks on his face.

"Levicorpus!" shouted James. His face contained a mixture of a grin and a grimace. Out of what seemed like nowhere, my feet conjoined together, and jerked up in the air to force me to be upside down, nearly dropping my own wand by an inch of my middle and ring finger. Getting composure, I tried the "Ear-Wax Explosion" charm once more.

"Durgurano!" the same explosion happened by James' ear, and when he stood up, he merely grinned, and whoosed his wand in front of him. I immediently fell to the ground, my head landing on the stone pavement with a loud "KOMP!"The people with us gave small "ooh's." James came over to me with half concern, half amusement.

"Are you okay?" he asked with a small giggle as I sat up straight. I swore reluctantly as I was rubbing my head.

"I feel quite peachy, thanks." I said sarcastically. In knowing that I was alright, several people laughed. As this was happening, Sirius Black turned his head to see a figure with black, greasy hair and a hooked nose walking past the scene.

"It's Slimey Serverus!" he shouted.

"Let's get him!" Peter exclaimed. Remus walked up to James, and whispered something into his ear, which sounded like "We need to give Snape a new nickname." James laughed and after helping me up, he ran after Snape in the hallways to mess around with him.

If it's not obvious, I'm not really in James' inner circle; I'm not in his real group of friends that he could tell any and everything. I'm not even sure if I could only be called his acquaintance. He curses random kids in the hall, and spars with me simply to exercise his mental capacity in an actual duel. I'm Potter's plaything, simply because he doesn't talk, but goofs around with me, and it's a mutual relationship that I'll have to put up with, probably when we each marry and have children someday.


End file.
